Flying Solo
by sweetgirl8353
Summary: After a life altering injury Adam finds himself in California at a new boarding school and away from his beloved team, the Ducks. How will he cope being separated from his friends? And how will he survive without hockey? Will Adam ever fly again?
1. Far From the Flock

Lone Duck

**After a serious injury that could possibly ruin his hockey career Adam Banks finds himself in the sunny city of San Francisco attending the prestigious South Beach Academy. Having left his friends, family and his entire life behind Adam feels like a guppy in an ocean of sharks. **

**And his awkwardness is not helped by the feisty soccer player Samantha Myers who is constantly bothering Adam. And his growing bitterness of the injury that has placed him on the sidelines. Through the layers of hatred and self loathing will Adam ever skate again? And will he be able to see the unlikely romantic interest before his eyes? **

**Find out in "Lone Duck!" **

_--_

_The stadium was absolute and complete craziness as the audience was a sea of purple and green. The Duck's colors. Banners' waving frantically in the air as the pounding of hands clapping was ringing in everyone's ears. _

"_Quack…quack…quack…quack…" The chanting grew louder and was as constant as a heartbeat, rising in volume till the chants crashed upon each other, faster and faster. _

"_Go Ducks!" the Ducks yelled, their voices hardly rising above the noises of the mob that was the audience. _

"_This is your final game! This is it! This is time to prove it to all of them, and especially to the Bears, that you are the best." Coach Orion yelled the tension between him and his team and the stadium growing with every word as his team hung off his words. _

"_And no matter what happens, I am proud of every single __**one **__of you. It has been an honor to know all you, and win or lose, I'll see you next season." he added a ghost of a smile as the Ducks pounded the butts of their sticks upon the bench floor. _

_Charlie, ever the captain, stepped forward and exclaimed, "Come on team! We can do this!" _

_The players took to the ice as Adam Banks skated to the center for the opening face off. Outwardly he seemed cool, calm and collected. But underneath his careful exterior he was trembling with nerves. He was no fool, though this was just the State Championships, he knew that several members of the overwhelming audience were scouts. _

_Scouts here to see him, to analyze his every move, to determine if he was worthy of going to their schools and then onward to the NHL. He sucked in a breath as he stopped at the center and out of the corner of his eye saw his best friend, Charlie Conway, nodding approvingly to him from Adam's right side. _

_Adam nodded back and gazed forward not meeting his opponent's eyes as the ref skated to stand between the two able players. He nodded to the two players and held out his hand, the black puck securely in his grip. _

_The game started with the small thud of rubber upon ice. _

_Adam lunged forward and with calculated and practiced ease sent the puck skidding to Fulton who took off to the goal. _

_The game was on. _

_It was a collage of movement, screaming and the pounding of Adam's heart, threatening to rip itself from his chest. As he skated, trailing the puck like a hunter stalking its prey, he felt truly alive. His skates gliding over the smooth ice as he skated to speeds that could compare to fellow teammate Luis Mendoza. _

_This was what it was all about, flying over the ice. Almost consciously Adam looked to the stands, half expecting to see the jolly and smiling form of the Ducks late mentor, Hans. But of course, Hans wasn't there and for a single moment Adam's concentration was broken. _

_The next thing the star Duck knew was that he was sprawled out in the net of the opposing team. He detangled himself from the grumbling goalie as Charlie laughingly came to his side and offered him a hand, a hand which Adam gratefully took. _

"_You seem to have a knack for finding yourself in goal nets, don't you Banksie?" Charlie joked as Adam rolled his blue eyes and playfully shoved his best friend. _

"_Don't jinx it; I'm trying to end the season without getting hurt." _

"_Change it up!" A harsh voice interrupted their banter as Adam made his way to the bench, passing by Russ Tyler. He seated himself down next to Averman and zoned the redhead out who was making lame jokes, as usual. _

_Adam took an offered water bottle from Connie Moreau with a grateful smile as he gurgled down several swallows. _

"_You're doing great out there, Banks." she praised as he smiled and looked down, even his friends complementing him made him blush. He set the water bottle down and placed a hand upon his left knee and began to rub as the knee throbbed. _

_It had been acting that way for weeks, slight pains during and after games and practices. Slight spasms of pain that had made it hard to walk at some points, constant pain. _

_Adam had handled it the only way he could, he had told no one. _

_He was planning on getting it checked out after this game, but there was nothing that would stop Adam from playing in this game. Nothing would stand between him and this game. So Adam had carefully hidden the injury, not an easy feat when one has fourteen friends who had the tendency to watch him like a hawk (No pun intended) and all would flip out if he expressed any notion of pain. _

_So him having kept it a secret, especially from the Ducks, was very impressive. Now, if only they don't freak out when he goes to the doctors after this game for a confirmation on his knee. _

"_Banks! On the ice! Now!" Coach Orion's voice pulled Adam from his thoughts as he nodded and took to the ice, once more feeling the adrenaline pumping fire through his veins. _

_But the lightweight feeling of flying did not last long as the pain in his leg began to migrate throughout the expanse of his leg. He grunted as he struggled to keep up with the players all after the puck like white on rye. _

_And then the unthinkable occurred. _

_Adam was checked into the boards with force unheard of as he felt himself pinned against the coolness of the glass. His leg felt like it was on fire as he struggled to free himself. He turned his head in time to see a brute Bear player charging towards him. _

_There was nothing Adam could do but brace himself for the pain that he knew was coming. _

_There was a faint popping sound as Adam fell to the ice in a heap. His moaned and bit his lip as to not scream out at the pain rolling over his body like fierce waves during a storm. His whole knee felt ripped and torn apart as he struggled not to cry as the pain grew and grew. _

_He shook and quivered upon the ice that was cooling his body dangerously. The feeling of flying has been crushed within him as he heard the distant ringing of screaming before realizing that it was him. _

"_Adam? My God! Adam!" he heard a voice yell into his ear as his helmet was roughly discarded from his head and he curled into a ball, strands of hair matted to his sweaty forehead as his cheek rested against the ice. _

_And as his head was cushioned onto a lap on one of his fellow teammates and friends Adam Banks fell into darkness. _

"…_**seatbelts on please. We are making our descent into sunny San Francisco, California…" **_

Adam Banks bolted awake as he sat straight up, back rigid and posture perfect as he heaved in a breath. He looked wearily around him to find himself still trapped in the large plane that had taken him from his home of Minnesota to here, California.

Taking in a deep breath Adam turned to look distractedly out the window as the plane lowered itself through the clouds and the city was shown to him from an aerial view. Just like a bird…no, a duck.

Adam sighed and looked down at his left knee and placed his hand upon the knee and lightly squeezed as he sucked in a breath. Even months after tearing his ACL it still bothered him to the point where was deathly afraid of doing anything hockey or physically related.

He leaned back into his chair and thought back to his home of Minnesota. A home he would not likely see again if his father had anything to do with it. The young man scowled thinking of his overbearing father and how he had but all forced him to come here for the great _Saint Francis Memorial Hospital_ and their 'outstanding' sport medical center. And of course the very prestigious South Beach Academy that was now to be Adam's new home. And going to school in California meant one thing…leaving the Ducks behind. Adam could still plainly see the shocked and outraged looks of his teammates when he had told them the truth that he was moving far, far away. Their voices still echoed in his head as they had told him their goodbyes only hours ago back at the airport in Minnesota.

"_Don't forget us Cake-eater." _

"_You'll be chillin' with my homeboys, Banksie, you gotta represent us Minnesotans." _

"_I'm going to miss you so much, Adam." _

"_Adam, remember no matter where you'll go, you'll always be a part of this flock. Ducks fly together, don't forget that." _

Adam pushed away the memories of his friends as a light tremble of pain jerked through his body, starting at his kneecap. He looked down at the knee covered by his ever present khaki pants.

The worse thing, all in all, had to be the fact that Adam hadn't stepped foot on the ice in nearly nine months. His torn ACL had been worse than he or his doctor had originally predicted and there was the strong possibility that Adam would never play intense hockey again.

Goldberg had called that irony.

Adam called it cruelty. For what was Adam Banks without hockey? Some weird prepster that actually liked the sweater vests he wore? Every time he had been injured, and he been injured a fair amount, he had never taken it to heart that he could never play again.

His hopes, dreams and virtually his life were shattered and here he was on a plane to California to pick up the pieces. He looked up startled as the plane made its tumultuous landing at the _San Francisco International Airport. _

He continued to stay seated though as the passengers around him jumped up and started trying to pull their luggage out of the compartments above. Ever so slowly the plane began to clear out till Adam was alone. With a tired sigh the former hockey player stood and ignored the pain in his knee as he slowly threw his backpack over his shoulder and began to walk down the thin aisle to the plane door.

He didn't even bother to politely smile to the stewardess who smiled largely at him and wished him a wonderful time during his stay in San Francisco.

Ha. His time here would be anything but wonderful.

He sluggishly made his way around the airport, all but limping, as he finally came upon the baggage claim. He stood in the sea of people all preparing to pounce on their luggage when he heard the sound of ducks quacking from his pocket.

With an embarrassed blush he dropped his bag and dug through his pockets, pulling out his cell phone. The name of the caller came up clearly.

_Charlie Conway. _

Of course, leave it to Charlie to call within the first ten minutes of landing. Adam stared at the phone for a few moments before he made a life altering decision. Shoving the phone back into his pocket Adam reached for his suitcase and with some difficulty began walking into his new life.

A life that didn't involve the Ducks.

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**Please read and review! I do not own the Mighty Ducks! **


	2. The Paris of the West

Lone Duck

Adam sighed as he struggled his way up the long, creaky and winding staircase of his Uncle Ted's and Aunt May's home. Most houses in San Francisco were known for being on slants of hills and for being tall rather than wide. His suitcases continuously hit his sides as he finally made it to the top of the stairs.

He heaved in a breath and continued on his journey. Going down the narrow and long hallway he counted the doors in his head as he finally came upon the third on of the left. The door was luckily already open so Adam had to do was blunder into the pale yellow room. He dropped the suitcases and listened with satisfaction as they hit the wooden floor with a thud.

He staggered to the twin bed and threw himself upon it, always mindful of his left knee. He laid there for several moments trying to regain his breath. Finally when he seemed halfway decent he rolled onto his back and took in the surroundings of his room for the night.

The room wouldn't be his new home as he was staying on campus in one of the dorms as all the other students did. This would just be his room when school let out for the weekends and for holidays.

The room itself wasn't overly nice, just normal and plain. Something Adam didn't mind as he would hardly be here. He already had it set in his mind to just stay at school at all costs. It wasn't that he didn't like his uncle and aunt, it's just that they were…different.

_Where were they? Adam thought as he continued walking around the airport, feeling like a duck out of water. He pulled back the sleeve of his shirt and glanced at his watch, they were five minutes late. _

_They would be Adam's Uncle Ted and Aunt May. Related to him by his mom's side of the family, Adam had only seen the a few times during his childhood. For a moment he wondered why his parents had never taken him to visit them. _

"_Ooh, look Ted there he is! Adam! Over here sweetums!" _

_Ah, so that was the reason. _

_Adam sighed and began walking to his uncle and aunt who were nearly bouncing in place before him. They never had had children of their own and Adam had been warned by his parents that they would be a bit…excited to be the guardians watching over him. _

"_Uncle Ted, Aunt May." Adam greeted and he didn't even have time to lower his suitcase before his ribs were crushed together by the forceful hug from his petite Aunt May. She was so small and frail that her head rested at the center of his chest as her thin arms were wrapped tightly around his torso. _

_He awkwardly patted her on the back as she looked up at him with bright blue eyes that were as large as puppy eyes. Well at least now he knew where he got his eyes from. _

"_You've grown so tall. The last time I saw you, you were twelve and still a little shortie going on and on about that team of yours. What team was that again, dear?" she asked of Uncle Ted who raised a hand to his bearded chin and stood in contemplation as he racked his brain. _

"_Was it the Eagles?" _

_Aunt May shook her head, still holding onto Adam, "No, I don't think so. It could have been the Cardinals." _

"_Don't be silly dear, it was never the Cardinals." _

"_Then what was it Mr. 'I'm so good at guessing games?'" _

"_Hawks." Adam murmured quietly as both his uncle and aunt placed their attention on the sixteen year old. _

"_Beg pardon, dear?" Aunt May asked as Adam sighed and repeated. "Hawks. I played for the Hawks and then became a Duck." _

_The two stared at him a moment before nodding in unison. _

"_Hawks, of course! Why didn't we think of that before?" Uncle Ted asked a loud, all but smacking himself in the forehead. Aunt May smiled and finally released Adam as he shook his head; he never liked bringing up his Hawk past. _

"_Can we just go?" he asked to his muttering relatives as they nodded and Uncle Ted graciously took Adam's suitcases from him and the two led Adam through the airport and to their awaiting car. _

_Adam slid into the backseat and buckled up as the suitcases were placed in the trunk and the car sped off into the awaiting San Francisco traffic that was common to any major city. Adam looked out the windows in a bored interest and he wondered if California was always this sunny and hot in September. _

"…_flight, dear?" _

_He looked up startled as he realized his aunt had been speaking to him all along. _

"_What?" he asked as she smiled and repeated her question, "I asked how was your flight?" _

_Adam shrugged and looked down at his hands as he twiddled with his thumbs. "Long." _

"_Aren't they all?" Uncle Ted piped up and then went into a riveting tale of a fourteen hour flight he was once on when he went from San Francisco to England for a seminar. Adam blocked out the voices of his relatives as he leaned his head against the window and watched as the city landscape flashed on by in brilliant blurs. _

_Finally though Uncle Ted turned the car to go down a neighborhood street and parallel parked his car in front of a tall pale blue painted house. Adam got out of the car and stood before it as his uncle clapped him on the back._

"_Welcome home, kid." _

The thing was Adam wasn't home. He had been in San Francisco all of one hour and already he was expected to think of it as his home. No way in Hades would that ever happen. Adam tiredly rubbed his eyes and stretched out across the expanse of the bed. He buried his head into the pillow and smelt the faint scent of pine.

With the silent lull of the distant sea outside his window Adam fell into a light sleep.

--

"Wake up sleepy head." A gently voice cooed into his ear as he felt a reassuring hand rubbing circles on his back. He groggily opened his eyes to see the heart shaped face of his Aunt May smiling down at him. He groaned as she smiled and scotched away, allowing him space to awake properly.

"What time is it?" he asked as he pushed himself up into a sitting position against his pillows. His shirt was wrinkled and he looked down at it in distaste as he ran his hands over it, trying to smooth the wrinkles out.

His mother would have a fit is she knew he was wrinkling up his fine clothes. He may just have to iron this shirt to set it back properly.

"Six thirty, dinner's ready so why don't you come on down, ok?"

He nodded and his aunt left him as he swung his feet over the bed and slowly stood. He walked to his open window and stuck his head out to see the golden sun starting to make its descent into the sea with the sky being a canvas of pink, orange and purple behind it.

Well, at least the view wasn't so bad.

Making his way slowly Adam left the room and walked down the long hallway before grabbing onto the wooden banister for support and made his way down the stairs, them creaking with every movement. Finally he reached the bottom of the stairs and relied on his sense of smell to guide him into the brightly painted tiled kitchen.

He was met with the sight of his uncle hunched over the stove, passionately sizzling salmon fillets. "Better get used to fish, kid, about the only thing west coasters eat." Uncle Ted called over his shoulder as Adam patted his rumbling stomach; he hadn't eaten since early that morning.

"Will do." he murmured as Aunt May patted the barstool that was seated next to hers at the counter. Adam obliged and sat down with his aunt and watched as his uncle placed the finishing touches on their dinner.

Adam appreciatively sniffed the air as his uncle placed two fillets on his plate and his aunt didn't waste time with filling up the remaining space with an assortment of vegetables, such as corn, green beans and peas.

He watched the two for a moment and realized how hard they were trying to make him feel welcome. "Thanks," he spoke shyly as he enclosed his hands together, ready to pray. But his uncle and aunt just dug into their food, not the praying type. Adam shrugged it off, not being very religious himself, and silently sent the prayer up to the sky.

He took one bite of the fish and instantly felt like he was in heaven. Uncle Ted watched with anticipation as Adam nodded approvingly and wiped his chin. "This is excellent." he praised to his uncle who beamed and subtly patted himself on the back.

"I always told your uncle he should be a cook, but he's never believed me." Aunt May piped up from beside Adam as she buttered a roll and placed it on Adam's plate.

"Because being a cook doesn't pay nearly half as much as being an accountant does." Uncle Ted resorted as Aunt May snorted, "Says you."

"Says anyone." Uncle Ted corrected as Adam inwardly chuckled. His aunt and uncle were quite the characters, so different than his own parents. Adam looked down at his plate, suddenly not very hungry. Even though he was angry at his parents for abandoning him here, that didn't stop him from missing them.

The longest he had ever been away from them had been his stint in the Junior Goodwill Games with the Ducks three years ago. And when they had been in the championship game against Iceland, Adam's parents and his older brother, Steven, had all flown out to witness his victory.

Adam faintly smiled remembering how ecstatic his family had been, for the first time it seemed his dad had been truly proud of him. Even Steven, his older and cooler brother, hadn't stopped raving for days about the Duck's miraculous win and the fact that Adam had been an integral part of that win, Steven's words, not his.

But now here he was, far away from his parents and even farther from his college bound brother who was at Yale on the east coast. Adam sighed and began playing with his food as his relatives continued to argue around him about the delicacy of cooking and how Uncle Ted really should have become a chef.

"…don't you agree, Adam?"

He looked up like a startled deer and blinked, "Beg pardon?" he asked and felt horribly stiff as his uncle and aunt chuckled and Aunt may asked, "Don't you think the fine art of cookery is a great career?"

"Yeah, sure, great." he mumbled as Uncle Ted raised his fist victoriously.

"See? The kid agrees!"

"He does not."

"Does so."

"Does not."

"Does so."

"Can you two just drop it?" Adam snapped and then lowered his head in shame, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be sweetums. We sometimes forget how annoying we can be when we get on a tantrum." Aunt May soothed reaching out and gently patting Adam's hand as Uncle Ted nodded in agreement. The rest of dinner passed without issue as Aunt May began to clean up and Uncle Ted cast a sideways glance at his nephew who sat in the barstool.

"Hey kid how do you feel about playing a quick game of hoops outside?" Uncle Ted asked excitedly as Adam looked up at him for a moment and shook his head.

"Why not? You don't have to worry about me beating you; I am the worse when it comes to basketball. I was never a sports person, much preferred my books. But you're a big guy; you could take me on easy as pie."

"I can't." Adam gritted out as he placed a hand upon his knee that had began to throb with the sheer mention of physical activity. Unfortunately the action was lost on Uncle Ted.

"Sure you can…"

"No, you don't get it. I. Can't. Play. Basketball."

"What are you…_oh._ I'm sorry kid, I forgot." Uncle Ted smiled apologetically as Adam rolled his eyes and stood and made his way out of the kitchen and back to the staircase.

"Adam, dear, where are you going? I thought we were going to play scrabble?" Aunt May called after him as he annoyed his aunt and hurried well hurried in his mind, up the stairs and to his room. He slammed the door shut behind him and sulkily sat on his bed, rubbing his knee as it had flared up once again. After a bit when he was finally calmed his eyes drifted to the open closet where he sat a uniform neatly hanging in the wardrobe. He stood and walked towards it, his hands running over the navy blue blazer which stated the words _South Beach Academy_. While the uniform was optional Adam's mother had told him the best way to make an impression was to follow the rules and be a good little boy.

So Adam would be wearing the uniform tomorrow. He sighed and hobbled back to bed and sat down just as his phone went off in quacking. He sighed and picked it up to once more see Charlie's name flashing across the screen.

"Can't you figure it out, Spazzway? I don't want to talk to you." he growled to the silent room as the phone quieted and then started quacking once more. Adam groaned and picked the phone up to then see Guy Germaine's name buzzing.

Ah, so it was an ambush.

Adam looked at his clock to see it nearing seven, which meant it was nine back in Minneapolis. Didn't his friends have anything better to do then to torture him? Adam didn't even bother to look at his phone as it went off for the third time; he just flicked it open and quickly turned it off before snapping it shut.

There, that would show them.

Adam's eyes strayed back to the uniform as he heaved in a breath.

Tomorrow would be his first day at SBA.

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**Please read and review! I do not own the Mighty Ducks! **


	3. New to School

The Golden Duck

Adam waved for the final time as his uncle's car disappeared from sight. He sucked in a breath, fixed his crooked tie and with a silent prayer of reassurance turned to face South Beach Academy. Twenty minutes outside of the hustle and bustle of San Francisco the school was a haven for youths who wanted to further their education in a learning environment. At least _that_ was what the brochure had said.

South Beach Academy had a sprawling campus that was woven through a large meadow with a forest on the outer edge; it was cut off from the outside world and therefore had a different feel to it than most boarding schools. Eden Hall Academy had been at the center of a large gated community and while it was rather stunning, it couldn't compare with South Beach Academy.

But of course SBA's beauty was lost on Adam. He stood stiffly for a few moments as the unforgiving California sun glared down at his back. It was only going on eight in the morning but Adam already felt drenched in his own sweat. He picked up his bags, and while silently cursing the heat, slowly began to make his way through the campus.

It resembled a college more than anything else, he thought, as he walked through the grassy quad. And it was just as busy and bustling as a college, he glumly thought, as kids shoved and pushed their way past him.

Adam was well aware that the majority of the kids he was passing were not wearing the SBA uniform that he was wearing. Actually, he was the only one in uniform. The rest of the kids were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, their tan skin gleaming in the strong sunlight. Adam was also aware of the stares and snickers that were being thrown away.

"He's a new kid, he must be, he's wearing a uniform." A round of laughter followed that comment as Adam sighed and ducked his head and continued walking onward, wishing he could just vanish into thin air. For the first time since he had arrived in San Francisco he wished that the Ducks were alongside him.

While stares seemed to follow the flock wherever they went, at least they weren't solely on him. Adam wished that Charlie and his leader presence were at his side, laughing and encouraging him to get out there and make friends, and to never forget the friends that he had in the Ducks. The Bash Brothers, Portman and Fulton, would be there checking out the California girls and yelling out comments such as 'babe' and 'hottie.' Connie and Julie would be rolling their eyes and punching the guys in the shoulders as they would ogle the campus girls. Averman would already be burnt by the sun and peeling, his crazy red hair standing out horrendously as he would make the lamest jokes and the only one laughing would be Dwayne, who didn't get them. Russ would be right at home with his fellow Californians and talking some smack with some rich prep that thought he was better than the Ducks. Goldberg would be looking for the nearest café and Kenny would be shrinking back into background.

Yes, the Ducks were quite the group. But they were in Minnesota starting school at Eden Hall and he was here, in California. Adam briefly thought of calling them, since their calls hadn't ceased, but decided against it. What could he say? And he had made a resolution to leave the past in the past…and that meant the Ducks.

In his trance of contemplation that he hadn't even realized that he was walking past the soccer field till a ball came flying from over the fence and landed neatly at his feet. He stopped as the ball lightly rolled away and then there was a girl at the fence.

"You have my ball." she announced as she leaned casually against the fence, she was short in stature as her light red hair was tightly pulled back into a ponytail with wisps of hair mattered to her forehead. Adam looked at her for a moment before his eyes moved to the ball at his feet. The girl, clearly impatient, snapped, "Are you going to throw it back anytime soon?"

Her voice jogged him out of his thoughts as he dropped his two suitcases and slowly kneeled down, his knee giving a slight groan of protest as he reached for the ball and stood. He wound his arm back and threw it over the fence as it landed several feet away from the girl. She watched it go and turned back to him with a condescending smirk, "Thanks grandpa."

She ran off before he could even begin to form a comeback to her insult. He watched for a moment as she dribbled with the ball, running up to speeds he had once skated easily at, she ran to the net, aimed and fired. The ball soared into the net and her teammates gathered her in a huddle of hugs and cheers erupted and even the coach looked pleased at how practice was going.

Adam turned away and continued on his quest as the soccer girl drifted from his mind. Soon enough, after staggering through the campus, he found the dormitory that he had been assigned to. Reilly Hall. How ironic. He walked through the glass front doors and gave a blissful sigh as he was hit with a blast of cool air, thank God it was air conditioned.

He stood there for several moments before going to the front desk where a sullen looking older upperclassmen sat, his eyes glued to his laptop as Adam stood before him. The boy's eyes didn't even blink as he ignored the taller boy's presence. Adam raised an eyebrow and politely cleared his throat to alert the teen to his presence.

He was met with no response. "Excuse me-" he began before being rudely cut off as the boy glared at him and in monotone inquired, "Name?"

"Adam Banks."

The boy swirled in his chair as he picked up a clipboard that had all the names of the male youths that would be calling Reilly Hall their home for the year. His eyes scanned quickly over the list as he clucked his tongue and came upon said boy's name.

"Adam Banks, Room 15 on the second floor, roommate JD Steele." Suddenly a key was coming right head on towards Adam and it was only with his years of extensive training that allowed him to catch the object before having it collide with his nose. But even so, his reaction was delayed from months of no physical strain.

"Impressive." The boy quipped, looking rather bored, he pointed to himself, "I'm Andrew Johnson, you're DA. If you have any problems contact me, my room is number one on the first floor. But let me tell you now, newbie, it better be life ending or else I will have nothing to do with you. Got it? Good. Now be gone."

Never having been formally dismissed by anyone before, all Adam could do was stare for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it as he gathered his things and moved to a doorway that led to the staircase.

It was not easy to maneuver through the stairs as they were crowded with students and their luggage. Adam had to duck as two burly guys came barreling past him, a large plasma TV in their grasps. Adam watched in surprise, were the dorms really that big? It seemed South Beach might have something on Eden Hall.

Finally Adam reached the second floor; he emerged into a loud and rambunctious hallway filled with males joking, running, and acting like typical males. Most of them reminded Adam of the Bash Brothers. He ducked his head as a neon green Frisbee whipped past his head and on further down the hall. Adam groaned to himself and began to long and difficult trek to Room 15.

He finally came upon the wooden door with a 15 engraved into the wood. A blank bulletin board was hanging from the wood, a way for Adam and his roommate to express their individuality to the world, no doubt. Eden Hall had done the same thing last year for Sophomore year when Adam, and all of the Minnesota Ducks, had decided to live on campus to be closer to the out of state Ducks.

Adam pulled the key from his pocket and placed it in the brass lock as it unlocked without difficulty. He pushed open the door and stepped into the moss green room. It was rather spacious with room for two twin beds and two desk situated at opposite ends of the room. There was a slider door that led to a small balcony that overlooked the woods at the outskirts of the campus. All and all, the room was enough to give Eden Hall a run for its money.

Adam took in the sight of several suitcases lying on the bed at the right side of the room; the wardrobe already had its drawers open as clothes had been hazardously thrown in. A shiny new laptop was already plugged up to the right hand side desk as posters of surfers and the ocean covered the right hand side walls, covering the gentle green. Adam's roommate had already been here and had done damage control.

Adam went to the left side of the room and slowly and delicately began to unpack. Sometimes he wished his mother hadn't drilled such chores and manners into him, he was a guy after all. He took out his folded clothes and began to set them in his wooden dresser as he switched off from placing items of clothing in there and going to his half of the closet. When the chore was done he stepped back and sat heavily upon the foot of his bed.

He absentmindedly reached forward and rubbed his lame knee to relieve it of some of the pressure it was currently feeling. Beneath the fabric of his pants he could feel the material of his knee brace. He wore it for precautionary reasons. Just as the slight pain was beginning to ease away the sound of quacking ruined Adam's peaceful silence. Adam growled and blindly pulled his phone out his pocket to see which Duck was making his life hell now. Julie's name flashed before his eyes as he sorrowfully sighed.

Julie was one of his closest friends and he hated not answering the phone. The two had been close ever since he had stood up for her during the Junior Goodwill Games against Portman and his leering gazes and sleazy comments. Julie was a strong and independent woman, who was more that capable of taking care of herself, she had been touched that Adam, who at the time hardly knew her, would risk being beaten into an inch of his life for her dignity.

The two were very alike. Both loved hockey, both excelled at hockey, both were quiet and studious. They had shared many a class together at Eden Hall. Adam smiled remembering one time in Chemistry when the two had spilled acid on Cole, accidentally of course. The two hadn't been cruel enough to do it purposely. Russ, though, was another story…

The quacking stopped and Adam sighed. He rubbed the screen of his phone for a moment before slipping it into his pocket. He didn't have time to ponder his deteriorating relationship with the Ducks for the door opened and in bounded a broad, tan and blonde male. He was dressed in loose plaid shorts and a wife beater covered his torso. He didn't notice Adam at first as he walked to his side of his room and began looking through his dresser as he threw clothes this way and that.

Adam watched him incredulously for a moment; unsure of what to do. Finally he decided an introduction was in order.

"Hello," he spoke calmly as his roommate jumped a foot in the air. He turned on his heel to glare at Adam as Adam smiled sheepishly in return.

"A little warning next time," the guy muttered as he stuck his hands in his short pockets and ventured closer to Adam.

"So you're my roommate?" the guy asked as Adam.

"It depends, are you…JD Steele?" he asked as the blonde nodded and held out his hand to Adam to shake.

"Yeah, Adam Banks, right?" JD asked as Adam nodded affirmative. JD stepped back and regarded Adam curiously.

"You're new to SBA?" he asked as Adam. He saw the unasked question in JD's eyes and answered before he could open his mouth, "I'm from Minnesota."

JD whistled in amazement as he nodded his tousled head of hair. "That's like living in the Artic Circle, isn't it?"

Adam chuckle and shook his head, "Its close enough."

Adam could tell that he and JD would get along just fine. They were obviously different, but JD seemed like a cool guy that Adam would be able to tolerate for a whole year. JD didn't seem overly cocky and sports obsessed like some people he knew *Rick Reilly.*

The two stood/sat in semi-awkwardness before JD checked his watch and swore under his breath. "We got to run, or we'll be late to the Beginning of the Year Assembly. Come on," he said to Adam as he offered him his hand and easily hoisted Adam to his feet.

Adam followed JD through the hallway and counted on his roommate to get them to the auditorium; Adam had no idea where they were going. In Adam's mind they went in every direction possible before ending up at the back of the ever crowding auditorium. JD gestured for Adam to follow him as he took off down the main aisle.

He was pointedly looking around as a smile graced his tan face as he found his group of friends. He pulled Adam along with him as they scrambled through the aisle, pushing and shoving past outstretched legs. They finally came upon two open seats as JD plopped down and Adam slowly sat next to him. JD nodded to three people sitting down next to them.

"Guys this is Adam, he's from Minnesota, Adam meet 2/3's of the group."

Adam looked over JD's shoulder to see a girl sitting next to JD. Adam nearly dropped his jaw noting the fact that she was wearing the required uniform. He wasn't the only one! She had a sleek bob that framed her face as a pair of glasses hid her blue eyes from sight. In her lap a thick book rested as she looked up from it to shyly smile at Adam. He nodded politely in return.

Next to the girl was a short and scruffy looking male. He was hunched over his laptop typing madly away as his dark hair fell over his eyes. The boy reminded Adam of Ken. And then next to the boy was another guy snoring in his seat as he slept.

"Adam meet Kimberly Brown, Ian 'IQ' Quinn, and Kyle Gates."

At the sound of his name Kyle opened his eyes and owlishly blinked at the newcomer. He regarded Adam for a moment before closing his eyes, opening his mouth, and began to breathe heavily once more. He saw Kimberley's curious, lingering gaze on him and he turned away from the chattering of JD and IQ to look to the stage.

He sat a bit on edge as he placed a hand on his knee and waited for the assembly to begin. He didn't have to wait long. An older looking gentleman appeared on stage and quieted the crowd of restless teenagers with the wave of his hands and he began speaking into a microphone.

"Welcome to a new year at South beach Academy! I'm sure you're all excited to settle in and begin the New Year." The man, Principle Sullivan, began enthusiastically and was met with smattered applause; the loudest coming from the dutiful Kimberley Brown, who had placed her volume away.

Adam placed his chin on the palm of his hand and zoned out through the principle's speech. His mind was a few thousand miles away as he couldn't help but wonder what his friends were up too. He checked a glance at his watch to see that it was going on nine am. That meant it was eleven in Minnesota. The Ducks wouldn't be starting school for a few more days. So right now they were most likely playing a pick up game of Hockey at the basketball courts near Charlie's apartment.

Adam could almost see his friends zooming around on their skates as they flung pucks into battered trash cans. He could also hear Goldberg complaining of the heat and begging everyone to go to his parent's deli for an early lunch. After lunch the Ducks would most likely sneak into Averman's uncle's movie theater to catch the newest action flick. Then they would hightail it to the pond to lounge around for the remainder of the afternoon before skating on over to Mickey's and getting Mrs. Conway to give them fries and milkshakes.

Adam wished he was there with them.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he knee gave a slight pang. Adam realized he had been gripping his knee tighter than he should have. He released his hold on his knee and looked to Principle Sullivan, who was still going strong.

"…before I start speaking of the Old School Bonfire tonight; I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back our reigning champs in women's soccer. The Varsity Women Sharks!"

A loud round of applause went up. Particularly from Adam's newfound group of associates. It was so loud in fact that once more Kyle gates found himself bleary eyed and awake. JD jumped to his feet as the team came on stage as IQ whistled loudly and Kimberley cheered. Adam watched them with slight confusion.

"Go Natalie!" JD bellowed as Adam followed his line of sight to see himself looking at a stunning young woman. She could have been a model. She was tall and willowy, with sandy blonde hair and baby blue eyes. She set her eyes on JD and smiled brilliantly at him as she exuberantly waved and winked in his direction.

"…and let's give a warm welcome to the Shark's newest captain…Samantha Myers!"

Adam's group grew even louder as a petite girl stepped away from her team. She was dressed casually in shorts and a t-shirt as her red hair hung around her. Adam instantly recognized her. She was the girl who had so eloquently called him 'grandpa.'

She wore a grin on her face as she gaze a wave to her admirers. She then stepped back next to the model Natalie as the taller girl whispered something into her ear which made the small one laugh. The team vanished off stage as Principle Sullivan wished them luck in regaining the state championships once again this year.

"Now don't forget about the Old School Bonfire tonight. The torches shall be started at eight. Now don't stay up too late. You all have class tomorrow starting precisely at seven-forty in the morning. Welcome back to the school and have a wonderful day!"

Adam bolted before anyone could stop him.

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**Sorry I haven't updated in so long. This chapter is…meh. I'll do better on the next ones. I hope everyone is having a good summer, because I know I am. **

**Please Read and Review! **

**I do not own the Mighty Ducks. Though I do wish I owned Adam. *Sigh.* **


	4. Meet the Gang

Flying Solo

Adam walked slowly through the second flood hallway of Reilly Hall. After the assembly he had bolted from the auditorium; he had been in desperate need of alone time. Now after having been by himself for more than a few hours and having sent an hour or two or three trying to find his way through SBA's campus.

It was now the middle of the afternoon and Adam was regretting his decision to wear his uniform. Who knew that khaki would heat up so quickly? Adam had ditched his blazer and had loosened his tie considerably, but still was a sweating mass. The strain of the heat did nothing for Adam's lame knee that was groaning with every carefully placed step he took.

He was glad once more to be in the air conditioned building as he trudged down the hallway to Room #15. The air fanned his fair face as he swiped mattered blonde hair away from his forehead. Adam didn't notice as two burly boys came barging through the hallway. He only noticed their unwanted presence when one rammed him in the shoulder.

Adam went stumbling forward as he sucked in a breath and fought the dizzying feeling that overcame his vision as his knee groaned against the abuse. Adam wobbly stood as the one who rammed him snarled, "What where you're going!"

Adam couldn't resist rolling his blue eyes. The two goons before him reminded him of Cole and his idiotic ways. Most likely these two were followers of a 'Rick Reilly.' Sure the two both weighed about twice as much as Adam, but years of putting up with goons, whether they be Hawks, Iceland, or Varsity, had made him immune to such frivolities.

Still the odds would be more in his favor if the Bash Brothers were creeping around…

"Did you say something, punk?" One growled as Adam bit down on his lip to stop from smirking. He was sweating, his knee killed, and he was not in the best of moods. Throw in a bowl full of teenage angst for his former life and you have a pissed off preppy.

"No, I did not say anything. I was merely insinuating with my eye roll that just because you two _blockheads_ rammed into me does not mean I will apologize." Even when angered he was still polite. He wasn't a cake-eater for nothing.

"Who you callin' blockhead?" the other one raged as twin veins began pulsing on the sides of the goons faces. Impressive, Adam thought. The next thing Adam knew he was being roughly shoved into a dormitory door as his knee nearly gave out. Before the scuffle could advance JD Steele emerged from his room at the other end of the hall.

"Hey, what's going on?" he demanded to know. He found his roommate in a precarious situation, forced between a door and the Hobbs Twins. The two giants placed their fiery gazes on the surfer as he sighed.

"This kid thinks he has the right to befuddle us!" Noah Hobbs explained as JD raised a bushy eyebrow.

"I believe the word you were looking for was belittled and I sincerely doubt that my roommate here would be like that, right Adam?"

JD only received a mild grunt of pain in return as Adam rubbed his shoulder. JD plastered a smile on his tan face and clapped the Hobbs twins on their shoulders as he turned them away from Adam.

"Now, I can assure you that Adam there will never…belittle you again. Hey, you know what I heard? That seniors are on the roof throwing balloons full of whipped cream at froshs! Go bros go!" he encouraged as the twins shared delighted glances before barreling down the hallway.

"Other way!" JD directed as he stepped out of their way as they ran in the opposite direction. When the hallway finally stopped rattling JD turned to Adam who had pushed himself off the door frame. JD regarded him mildly.

"I never would have guessed I get stuck with a prepster with some sting in him. Really, you've been here, what, half a day? And you're already taking on the Hobbs twins. Next thing you know you'll be rebelling against 'the man' and organizing riots where we all gather together and burn textbooks to the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel. I can see the headline already, 'Preppy from the exotic land of Minnesota turns South Beach Academy Upside Down.' It'll be like High School Musical or something. Hopefully without the singing, because I have to tell you, I am tone death."

JD quipped as he noticed Adam standing a bit unsteadily on his legs. "Old war wound?" he asked as Adam shrugged.

"I don't want to talk about it." he muttered as he looked down. JD sensed his roommate's discomfort and nodded. They walked the short distance to their room in silence as Adam's insides churned. He had not wanted his roommate, who he hardly knew, come to his defense! The guy was almost as bad as Charlie for crying out loud!

Yes, what Adam had been in the processing of doing had been stupid. But he was beyond caring at this point. He was a bit self-destructive. Not in a suicidal way, more of like 'screw this' type of way. If only the Ducks could see him now…

Adam paused outside their door as he strained his ears and heard laughter from inside. He looked to JD who sheepishly smiled.

"Yeah, about that…" he pushed open the door and ushered Adam into their not-so-deserted room. Sitting Indian style on the carpeted floor was Kyle Gates. Having already hooked up JD's plasma TV screen to his Wii system and was madly playing a game Call of Duty 3.

"Take that!" he whopped as his Wii remote flung back and forth. A beanie cap covered his face as he continued playing. Sitting at JD's desk was Kimberley Brown as she contently thumbed through a book while carrying on a stirring conversation with IQ on child labor laws.

IQ was sitting comfortably on the floor at the foot of JD's bed as he threw grapes up into the air and caught them in his mouth. All the while typing out the dimensions of his newest computer game. Everyone once and a while he nodded a long to whatever Kimberley was going on about.

The roam was load and obnoxious and Adam didn't want to be there. He turned questioning to his roommate who only shrugged.

"It will only get worse, trust me. And they come and go as they please. Don't be surprised if you walk in and one's napping in your bed."

Well, that was…foreboding.

Adam didn't have time to respond because JD ignored his roommate and shuffled over his bed as he lazily laid on it and began flipping through the magazine Eastern Surf. Adam sighed and looked around at the crowd of people that were occupying his room. Soon they would be on his bed and in his things. He was very particularly about personal space. That was the one thing that had always bothered Charlie since Charlie had always believed in the philosophy 'what's yours in mine and what's mine is yours.'

He went to his side of the room and stood awkwardly as the group carried on. A few moments after Adam went into his shell of anxiety the door flew open and in blundered Natalie Daniels and on her back Samantha Myers. Natalie dropped Sam with an unforgiving thud as she wheezed in oxygen.

"I can't…c-can't believe…you…made me…piggyback ride you…u-up all those…those stairs!" she panted as Sam gave a sinister smirk that added to Adam's earlier belief that she might be evil.

"No pain no game, babe, you need to put on some weight, you're too skinny." she said as she easily kicked at Natalie's shins which made the girl jump.

"I know someone who's gained weight." she muttered as she set her blue eyes on JD and grinned. She launched herself into his arms as the two fell back on the bed. Sam rolled her dark eyes in mild disgust as she stood and wiped imaginary lint from her shorts.

"All muscle," she muttered as Natalie pulled herself away from JD's lips and breathlessly countered, "Keep telling yourself that, babe."

Sam made a face and twitched her nose as she turned away from the disgusting couple to wander on over to Kimberley. As she turned Adam caught the sight of her leg and noticed an ugly scar winding its way around her knee. The scar itself marred her tan skin and disfigured her whole knee. Adam raised an eyebrow in silent curiosity. How had someone so small require such a large blemish?

On the way towards Kimberley, Sam passed by IQ and greeted him by affectionately smacking him upside the head. She ignored his curses that he freely threw at her as she sidled up to her bookish friend. She pounced and grabbed a peanut butter covered apple slice and gobbled it down before Kimberley could stop her. She giggled at the girl's pouting and movement from Adam's bed caught her eyes.

She placed her brown eyes on Adam and scrunched her face as she turned to JD and Natalie, who had finally unglued their faces from each other. "Who's he?" she asked as she stole another slice from under Kimberley's eyes. Natalie finally caught sight of the newcomer and turned crimson as JD chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and made the necessary introductions.

"Adam Banks this is my lovely girlfriend Natalie Daniels and the shrimp over there is Samantha Myers." he cocked his head towards the livid redhead who had a few choice words for her friend. During their exchange Natalie detangled herself from JD's strong arms and stood to shake Adam's hand.

"Hello, sorry, I'm not normally like…_that_." she emphasized prettily as her cheeks still held a tinge pf pink.

"Yeah, normally they go at it like rabbits." Samantha retorted, seeking revenge against JD's shrimp comment. She may be short, but she was a deadly little sucker. She grinned at the distress she caused her friends as she looked at Adam for a moment in contemplative silence.

"Do I know you?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side to think easier.

"Yes, we met this morning. I retrieved your soccer ball and you called me 'grandpa'"

A smirk sprouted on the side of her face as she nodded in remembrance, "So I did." her interest in the outsider diminished as she took in the sight of the tall boy's clothing. He seemed like a boy version of Kimberley. She grinned to herself and turned her back to Adam, her disinterest apparent as she once more began eating Kimberley's snack.

"So are we going to the Old School Bonfire tonight?" IQ asked from his corner as Natalie nodded excitedly from JD's arms.

"We are upperclassmen this year, we have to attend!" she enthused as Kimberley nodded along with her. Kimberley was the junior's class student vice-president and therefore had a huge part of the bonfire. She had spent most of her summer planning the event.

"Sure, why not." Sam said from her corner as she produced a polished red Manchester United from her backpack as she raised her foot and leg as she held the ball outstretched in her arms. Her eyes darted to IQ, who though still typing, was glancing pointedly at her as she said, "Count it."

He nodded and the room watched as the ball dropped and Sam effortlessly kicked it up as she began her usual routine of juggling the ball. She did it several times a day in an attempt to beat her record of eighty-nine consistent juggles. It was silent for a moment and then the noise came back as everyone went about their business. It was as if seeing the sight of their friend juggling a soccer ball had become commonplace.

"Ten…" IQ droned as he typed. Adam now saw how he was keeping track of Sam's juggles without looking at her. She was moving perfectly to the rhythm of the ball and IQ had matched that by tapping his fingers on his thigh in time with her juggling the ball. She changed from kicking the ball with her feet to kneeing it as it bounced up and down on her thigh.

"Twenty…"

"So Kimberley, what's on the agenda for the bonfire tonight?" JD asked as he sat up and propped his body against the wall behind him. Natalie placed her head in his lap as he absentmindedly carded his fingers through her silky hair.

Kimberley perked up from her spot as she shut her book and started rambling off what the bonfire would entail. She was normally a very quiet and shy girl. But when she was around her friends and on a topic she was passionate about she couldn't help but become as animated as Minnie Mouse.

"Thirty…"

"Well, for starters starting at five pm we will be having a huge barbeque. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and tofu patties galore! And then at six thirty the games will begin. There will be the teacher's dunk tank, a water balloon toss and then…"

"Forty…"

"…oh and there will be a kissing booth." Kimberley blushed as Natalie raised an eyebrow and JD gave a true Cheshire grin.

"Oh, will there?" he asked with wiggling eyebrows which caused Kyle and IQ to burst out laughing as Natalie reached up and smacked JD soundly in the shoulder.

"IQ! Focus!" Sam snarled from her spot as IQ stopped laughing and sighed.

"Fifty-two…"

"You better have been joking," Natalie muttered as she crossed her lanky arms over her chest and pouted up at her boyfriend who grinned and rubbed his shoulder. His girlfriend sure had some muscles on her tawny frame!

"Of course I was," he assured as he tapped her on the nose as she giggled and settled back down into him. Sam took a moment to glower at the happy couple as she kept the ball in place and lodged it into the air once more.

"Sixty…"

Adam watched with fascination. Her whole body was rigid, yet moved so fluidly. Her eyes never left the ball; her sole focus was keeping it in the air. Adam had never seen someone so dedicated to a sport since…well, him. And look where that had gotten him.

"Seventy…"

If it was possible her concentration seemed to raise a level as the ball jumped up higher and faster. She was becoming radical in her quest to beat her own record. He could see the slight frustration now coming across her tan face. She was becoming dangerous. Her body was jerky now as she fought to keep the ball going.

"Eighty…"

Adam had a hunch she wasn't going to beat her record. He was right. Sam had kicked the ball too hard and it had gone flying forward and out of the reach of her knee to nudge it. It bounced to the floor and rolled towards Kyle. Sam huffed and wiped her brow as she turned to IQ.

"Eighty-six," he told her as her eyes darkened. She breathed heavily for a few moments before balling her hands into fist and cracking them soundly. The sound echoed around the room as she cracked her neck and took the offered water bottle from Kimberley. The room watched and waited for the star player of the woman's varsity soccer team to make her next move.

She took several deep chugs of water as she wiped at her red face. She finally lowered her water bottle and asked with a slight smirk, "So who will be in line first for the kissing booth?"

The room instantly came back to life as everyone discussed their plans for the evening. Adam didn't want to look at her but as Sam stood listening with playful smiles and jokes he could see the disappointment and frustration beneath the surface. He had lived with those emotions long enough to see it in those around him.

"…what about you Adam?" he was jogged out of his thoughts as he looked towards Natalie, who had spoken to him. It was then he realized everyone in the room was looking at him.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you." he said from his bed as Natalie smiled and repeated her question.

"I asked if you were planning on going to the Old School Bonfire tonight."

Adam was at a loss for words. He really didn't want to go. Truly he didn't. He just wanted to hang around their room to prepare for school tomorrow. He needed the relaxation to stay sane. After his accident he had nearly gone insane with his parents and the Ducks fussing and fawning over him like some newborn. He needed the peace and quiet to adjust to this new and strange environment. He opened his mouth to say no, but JD beat him to it.

"Of course he is! We'll show him around." JD stated confidently as Sam snorted. She saw past his façade. She was good at reading people. And while most would just declare him shy; she could tell that he truly didn't want to be there with any of them. And her idea of a good time was not spending it with someone like Adam Banks. She ignored JD's glare in her direction as she picked up her ball and twirled it on her finger like a basketball.

"So what do you say Banks?" JD asked as Adam internally sighed and plastered a fake smile to his face.

"Sounds great," he said as his heart dropped into his stomach.

There went his peace and quiet.

--

**Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Please read and review! It means a lot to know that you guys like it. **

**I do not own the Mighty Ducks. **


	5. The Old School Bonfire

Flying Solo

**Hope everyone is having a good summer! I am partaking in drivers training and it is insane! I drive on the highway tomorrow, wish me luck! **

**I hope that everyone enjoys the chapter and if you do enjoy the chapter please express your gratitude by leaving me a kindly review. Thanks. **

**Enjoy! **

--

Adam soon learned that the Old School Bonfire was so much more than a simple bonfire. It was an event of titanic proportions. Adam looked around in awe as he was cajoled forward by his newest _friends_. He felt like he was at a giant carnival that was just beginning.

The sun had set only moments before and the Californian sky was ablaze with cherry blossom pink and lavender. The hidden beams of light still warmed the land, but the not so distant sea breeze warned of a slight chill for the late August evening. Most of the gang had donned fleeces and sweaters, but Adam wasn't as susceptible to the cold as they were.

He grew up in Minnesota. You learn to live with the cold there. To him it was the perfect temperature. Way better than the humidity and hotness he had felt all day. It almost reminded him of springtime in Edina. Adam shook his head and glanced around. If he didn't know any better; he would think he was at an amusement park.

There were rides such as Ferris wheels, a large swinging pirate ship, a brightly lit carousel, Chair-O-Planes, bumper cars, Tilt-A-Whirl, and so much more. The carnival took up the whole back field behind the boy's dormitories.

And if someone didn't like rides they definitely would have fun at the game booths. There were old classics, such as Whack-A-Mole, the Balloon and Dart Game, and the Ring Toss game. Also with some Adam had never seen before; such as the Ladder Climb Game and the Horse Race Game. They were also traditional booths such as the funhouses and house of mirrors.

Past the rides and games stood the waiting bundle of wood; it was itching to be lit later on in the night. Near the unlit bonfire were the barbequing stations being manned by the teaching facility of SBA. Hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs and even tofu patties were being grilled right at that moment. They filled the air with their savoring scents as teenagers went to pounce of the delectable meats.

Even more dizzying then the flashing and beaming lights consuming Adam was the sea of orange and blue that he was treading through. Orange and blue were the colors of the South Beach Academy Sharks. The students wore their colors proudly; nearly everyone being covered in orange and blue. Adam passed by tangerine colored faces and hastily dyed teal hair.

The gang was all dressed up in their school colors. Most of them were wearing SBA Shark t-shirts with SBA jackets, fleeces and sweaters protecting them from the sea chill. Kyle had a striped blue and orange beanie hat on that drifted down his forehead. Both Sam and Natalie had their jersey numbers painted on their cheeks. Sam's read fourteen and Natalie's read thirty-one.

Adam felt decidedly out of place in his plain clothing; that sadly did not show his school spirit in the way it should. But he was new and thus was pardoned from the scrutiny of the population of madly happy youths. Adam had to admit that summer was definitely going out with a bang here at SBA.

Adam shuffled his feet as he absentmindedly followed after the five person group. Kimberley, being vice-president, was busy doing her office duties with the Student Council. Before she had darted off she had promised to meet with the gang for dinner down at the picnic tables. Adam sighed as he stuck his hands in his pockets, kept his eyes to the grassy ground, and trailed after the gang.

Adam had never been one for large gatherings. Every time he was at one he felt like the walls were closing in on him and he usually ended up leaving them with a headache. A throb went through his head as he sighed; it looked like he would leave with one tonight. Perfect. This really was not how he planned his last night of summer to go.

Adam wasn't paying attention and so didn't notice when the group stopped and he rammed into JD. He shook his head, muttered an apology and backed away as JD shrugged it off. Kyle looked around in glee; the Old School Bonfire was one of his favorite days of the year. Excluding Hanukkah and his birthday of course. He rubbed his pale hands together as he eyes took in the sight of row after row of carnival games. His gamer fingers were itching to try them all and conquer! He was the King of Gaming at SBA; a title he had been working diligently at since freshman year. Everyone knew not to mess with him when it came to gaming and that included every and any type of game, except sports. He wasn't gifted in that specific department.

"I see games; lot's of games." he marveled as his friends shared knowing looks as IQ started rattling off percentages and statistics to his game obsessed friend. Kyle ignored him in his excitement and took off to the Skeeball game. IQ exhaled, and trailed after his friend still rattling off Kyle's chances at pure domination.

Sam rolled her eyes as she pulled out her soccer ball and began dribbling it in place. Natalie snorted as she looked at her friend from JD's side where she was tucked in.

"Do you ever go anywhere without that thing?" she asked as Sam smirked and kicked it at Natalie's unsuspecting shins. Natalie yelped as Sam's grin grew, "No," she retorted as Natalie glared at her friend and rubbed her red shins.

"Obsessed," she stage whispered as JD chuckled and Sam rolled her brown eyes.

"Dedicated," she retorted as her gaze grew serious. "Which is what you should be; your defense was crap today." she spoke bluntly and without hesitation as an awkward silence descended upon the four. Natalie blinked rapidly before looking away as Adam peeked a glance at Sam. He could see by her stature and her facial expression that she wasn't sorry for her comment. He could also tell that she had said it without malice. She wasn't meaning to be harsh, but it sure came out like it.

JD rubbed Natalie's arms and glowered at Sam as she raised an eyebrow in innocence and shrugged as she continued dribbling her ball with required ease.

"What? Everyone needs to be on their A game. I won't have slackers on _my_ team."

Adam subtlety raised a brow. Sam was constantly reminding him of himself in his Hawk days. He hadn't even known her a full day and he could already clearly see the similarities between the two. She was gifted at her craft just as he had been. She was borderline arrogant and considered herself the best just as he once had. She was proud and strong just like him. But he had had the Ducks to ground him. Adam wondered who grounded Sam.

"It's a game; it's meant to be fun." Natalie muttered as she breathed in; she attempting calm herself. She had heard Sam talk like this before, but that didn't soften the sting of her blows. For a shrimp she sure was a deadly little thing.

Sam barked out laughter as she shook her mass of red hair, "Not with me it is. It's about winning."

Yep, she was definitely Hawk Adam reincarnated.

That was a bit of a scary thought. If Adam remembered correctly he had been a bit of a bully. Not that he could picture small Sam being particularly bully-like, but people were full of surprises. He just hoped for her sake she wasn't like that.

Everyone was saved from an impending argument when two seniors from the varsity soccer team came strutting up. Michael Hall and Jeremy Andrews were the star players of the boy's varsity team. A fact they love to hold over Sam.

"Hey look Mike, I found your other ball!" Jeremy joked as Andrew plowed into him and Sam rolled her brown eyes.

"More like only ball," she sang out as JD snorted and Natalie bit her lip to hold in her giggles. The two shoving players turned towards Sam to glare at her as she smiled at them. There was a hint of challenge behind her eyes as they flashed.

"Yeah?" Mike asked as he stepped closer to Sam, "Then I'll be wanting it back."

He stole the ball from her and an epic fame of monkey in the middle began. Sam was not pleased and showed it as she let her aggression out as she barreled back and forth between the two. Finally the fight took to the carnival as Jeremy and Mike took off into the crowd with Sam hot on their heels.

"JD, let's go on the Ferris wheel!" Natalie enthused as JD nodded and turned to Adam with a guilty smile. JD had forced Adam into this and now was leaving his roommate high and dry.

"Do you mind?" he asked as Adam shook his blonde head and waved them off with a smile, fake though it was. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later."

JD nodded and grabbed Natalie by the hand as the pair began walking to the Ferris wheel in the distance. Adam watched them go and once they were gone he allowed himself to drift back into his pool of moping and self pity. Leave it up to him to have a crappy time in the middle of a giant festival.

He rubbed his neck and began wandering the fair grounds in search of something to do. As a side stop he went to a booth and ordered himself a bag of buttery and salty popcorn that scratched his throat but appeased his hunger. He was walking by the carousel, lost in his own thoughts, when he bumped into a smaller figure.

He took a few steps back and looked down into green eyes. He had bumped into a girl around his age with wavy blonde hair and a kind smile. He looked at her for a moment as the world righted itself once again.

"I'm…I'm sorry." he said sincerely as her smile grew and she shook her head.

"Don't be, it was my fault. I should have been looking where I was going." she said in a sweet and soft voice as Adam shook his head.

"No, I should have been looking where I was going." he light heartedly argued as she laughed.

"Well then, I guess next time _we'll_ both watch where we're going."

Adam smiled and nodded, "Sounds good to me."

The two smiled at each other for a moment more and Adam was just open to open his mouth to ask her name when a voice cried out from the crowd.

"Kenzie! Hurry up! We're getting on the Paratrooper!" the girl turned her head and nodded before looking back at Adam with a small smile as she started to back away from the tall boy.

"Well, I'd best be going, but I'll see you around." she graced him with one final grin before turning on her heel and disappearing into the ever shifting crowd. Adam watched her go until she was clear out of sight. She had been…refreshing. She had been different from the others he had already met at SBA.

Adam didn't have time to dwell on the mystery girl he had met. As he passed by the Water Gun Game he was waved towards it by Kyle and IQ. He came up alongside IQ and watched as Kyle won the game…again.

He already had an admirable stack of prizes at his disposal. He had stuffed animals and teddy bears, posters of sport stars and pop stars, and sweets ranging from Twinkies to Hershey's chocolate bars.

"Nice winnings," Adam complimented as Kyle nodded and searched through his stack of winnings.

"Here, have a Ho Ho." he said as he tossed the former hockey player one. Adam easily snatched it and nodded his thanks as he placed the chocolate treat in his pocket, perhaps he'd find some small child to give it to later. Well, that sounded creepy.

"He's won every game." IQ interjected as he pushed his glasses higher up his nose as he peered over his frames to glance at Adam, "I've been trying to tell him that at this rate the most plausible thing would be that he will start losing. These games are just like gambling, all you need is luck. And luck can go both ways."

"Why don't you two compete?" he suggested as Kyle thought over the suggestion and shrugged taking in Adam's stature. He didn't seem like a gamer by nature. It would be nice to have some competition; no matter how amateurish Adam would prove to be.

"Sure, why not." Kyle proclaimed as Adam shrugged and seated himself down next to Kyle on a plush scarlet red stool. He slipped the worker a few dollars for her troubles as he gripped the bars of his gun and aimed it at the target. Kyle licked his lips and gripped the bars in a steel grip as the two teenagers stared determinedly ahead. A moment later the buzzard went off and water went flying.

IQ watched as the water levels raised neck-to-neck. He crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a brow as Adam reached the finish line first. Kyle sat dumbstruck as Adam was handed a lush polar bear. He saw Kyle's disbelieving gaze and IQ's curious one as he modestly shrugged.

"Well, that was fun. I'm going to go." he stood but Kyle stopped him in a quick hurry.

"Oh, no! I thought you were just a weakling and I underestimated your true potential. I will not make that mistake again. Onto the Dart Game!"

And so it went. Kyle and Adam would duke it out at simple carnival games as IQ watched and observed as Kyle got served over and over and over. No matter what game Adam was just a hair length better. Soon his pile of earnings was thrice times as large and praiseworthy and Kyle's. It had finally happened. The King of Games seemed to have been dethroned by the preppy newcomer with a sometimes sour attitude.

Battling Kyle was actually fun for Adam. He would never admit it, but he got a real kick every time Kyle's face turned to dubiety and horror each time Adam walked away from the game a victor. It was the highlight of the night for Adam.

"You have to tell me your secrets dude!" Kyle begged as they walked away from their latest game to head over to the barbeque pit to grab dinner. The sky was now dark and the chill had settled down at SBA, but the festival was still in high gear and the anticipation for the bonfire was ever growing.

"No secrets to tell." Adam could be heard from behind his armful of prizes. His whole upper torso was consumed by the prizes and Adam was obscured from view. He relied on IQ to weave him through the crowd and hoped that he wouldn't lead him into a pole.

"Come on, no one is naturally that gifted. You've must have done something in your life that set you up for your night of conquest!" Kyle whined as Adam sighed and nodded.

"Fine, I used to play hockey. Satisfied?"

Kyle balked at Adam's tight voice and his tense posture but let it go as he and IQ guided Adam to the picnic tables. They found JD, Natalie and Kimberley already eating at a table. They dumped down their things and headed to the line where each boy piled on the food. They were teenage boys after all.

They returned to the table and Adam plopped himself down between Kimberley and IQ.

"Whoa Kyle, you got the newbie to carry your things?" Natalie asked as she reached out and plucked one of Adam's stuffed animals to stroke it. Everyone looked to Kyle as his cheeks flushed and he looked down defeated and muttered something unintelligible.

"What did you say?" JD asked confused; not used to his friend's shyness.

"They're not mine; they're Adam's." Everyone looked to Adam for confirmation as he nodded.

"You mean…you beat Kyle?" Kimberley asked from beside Adam as he lightly nodded and in an effort to sway the topic away from Kyle he said, "So what have you guys been up to?"

He half listened as Kimberley retained her evening to him; in full detail. He looked up as Natalie snatched up Adam's first prize; the brand new polar bear.

"Hey, Sam would love this. Her favorite animal is the polar bear." she told Adam as he nodded and she placed it back.

"What are you going to do with those things anyway? Because dude, I don't want them taking up space in our room." JD inserted as Adam nodded in agreement. There was nothing like stuffed animals to ruin a man's manliness. He looked to the two girls who were ogling his goodies.

"Take what you want," he said as he pushed his pile towards them as both smiled, exchanged glances and began plundering his treasure. Adam was happy to let them. What would he do with thirty-three stuffed animals? And the posters he had been given only had football and basketball players on them. Not one hockey player. Not even an Anaheim Mighty Duck one. And he wasn't too keen on having a Brittney Spears poster in his room. Even if she looked hot in her skin tight circus outfit. On second thought, maybe he would keep that one…

He started munching on his second hot dog when Sam emerged from the crowd and seated herself down next to Natalie and nudged her beautiful friend with her shoulder and grinned. It was her equivalent of an apology. Natalie had learned not to ask for anything more over their years of friendship. Just by her simple gesture Natalie knew that Sam was sorry for her earlier comments. Sam only vocalized an apology when she had royally screwed up, and according to her that hardly ever happens.

Natalie grinned back as Sam started swiping Natalie's chips.

"Stop being a vulture!" Natalie groaned as Sam pawned nearly half her chips off of her plate. Next she moved onto Natalie's celery strips with a pixie smile as she crunched them loudly in her mouth.

Her brown eyes glanced to Adam's slowly diminishing pile of prizes as she smiled and turned to Kyle.

"It seems that you've outdone yourself of Mighty Game King." the gang didn't attempt to hide their snickers as Kyle ducked his head and Sam looked around with narrowed eyes.

"What? What did I miss?" she asked as she placed her brown eyes on Kyle who sighed and placed his head on the table and proceeded to bang it. Repeatedly.

"What Kyle's trying to say, is that those prizes aren't his. They're Adam's."

Sam raised a thin eyebrow as she set her gaze on Adam. "You won all these?"

Adam nodded as she reached forward to grab the polar bear as she held it in her grip and peered down into its glossy eyes.

"He played hockey." IQ filled in the blanks as her eyes flashed and she continued looking at the bear for several more moments; a thoughtful look gracing her tan face. She looked up at Adam and inquired, "Where did you say you were from?"

"Minnesota." he answered as she nodded and looked back to the bear, "And you played hockey?"

Again another nod as she set the bear back on the table and pushed it back towards the pile while saying, "You must have been very good."

"I was average." he commented, down playing his star status on the Ducks. The strange moment with the pint sized soccer player passed as conversation went back to normal. The gang agreed to do some rides so Adam was forced into rides such as the Fun Slide, the Matterhorn and the Orbiter. By the time the gang had exited the Paratrooper the bonfire was beginning.

The group booked it on over to the large bonfire as its golden flames sprung up into the clouded sky. The heat of the flames rolled in waves over the students as they proudly sang/screamed their school song and alma mater. Adam stood alone amongst the SBA students as his knee began to throb due to his exertions throughout the day.

He snuck away unnoticed by nearly everyone, except the most unlikely person. Samantha Myers watched Adam Banks disappear into the shadows from her spot with her fellow teammates. She shook her head and went back to celebrating her last night of summer. No point in wasting a moment's thought on someone like Adam Banks.

Adam trudged up Reilly Hall's stairs as he entered his hallway. The whole building was deserted; even Andrew Johnson was MIA. Adam guessed that even DA's liked carnivals. Adam entered his peaceful and more importantly quiet dorm room as he flicked on the lights and threw himself down on his bed as he buried his head into his pillow.

He finally was getting what he had been seeking all day; a moment's peace. Sadly fate seemed to have it in for him, for a moment later his cell phone was going off. He groaned and turned onto his back and stared helplessly at the ceiling; he was so close to pulling his hair out. Couldn't his friends leave him alone for a day? He angrily flipped open his phone to tell Charlie off but was surprised that the number displayed wasn't Charlie's, or any Duck for that matter, it was his father.

"Hello?" he asked as he accepted the call.

"Son?" Philip Banks asked as Adam nodded even though his father couldn't see him from the two thousand or more miles separating father and son.

"Hey dad." he greeted his father as he stretched out on his bed and began rubbing his sore knee.

"How was your first day?" Philip asked as Adam described his day to his dad, leaving out certain details, such as the goons he had meet in the hallway.

"Sounds like a fine school." Philip complimented the extremes that SBA had taken for a final hurrah before school started the next day.

"Yeah, I like it." It wasn't a complete lie. South Beach Academy had its charm, but was it the ideal place for a hockey loving boy from Minnesota? That remained to be seen.

"Have you made any friends yet?" Philip asked his son as Adam sucked in a breath and weighed his options. He didn't know whether if he should call the gang his friends or not. They all seemed like nice people with redeeming qualities, but he had only known them a day. But he might as well put his dad at ease.

"Yeah, lots." he could almost hear the smile in his dad's voice as he said next, "And any girls?"

"Give me some time." Adam promised as his father chuckled. They continued talking for a few moments before Adam yawned and his father insisted that he head off to bed to be ready for school the next day.

"Don't forget your exercises in the morning." Philip reminded Adam as Adam told him he wouldn't forget. They hung up a few moments later as Adam shut his phone and set the alarm for the next morning. He stared up at the textured ceiling as his eyes began to droop. Without a second thought he fell asleep and left the day behind him.

**PLEASE REVIEW! IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO ME IF YOU DID! SO BE KIND AND LEAVE ME A REVIEW BY PRESSING THAT PRETTY GREEN BUTTON BENEATH THIS! **

**I DO NOT OWN THE MIGHTY DUCKS. **


	6. The First Day of School

Flying Solo

**A/N: So sorry for not updating in forever. I'll try and post the next chapter soon. Thanks for everyone who has stuck with this story and who had reviewed it. It means the world to me. So enjoy and be kind and leave me a REVIEW! **

It was at five am, and in the middle of Adam's pleasant dream, when the alarm on his cell phone obnoxiously began going off. The loud, chirping noises pierced the darkness of Adam's subconscious and brought the groggy teen to the present. He grunted into his pillow and he reluctantly turned to the source of his anger. On the other side of the room JD groaned and turned his back to Adam as he buried his golden head into his own pillow. Adam reached for his phone and flipped it open as the beeping finally stopped. Adam yawned and sat up to check the time.

Yep, five am, just as he had planned. Adam sluggishly rubbed his eyes as he peered around his dim room. He could make out the silhouettes of the furniture. Adam slowly rotated his neck and gave a grunt of content when it cracked in all the right places. He slowly released himself from his bed's warm confines and trudged to the windows as he pulled on the blinds and the faint sunlight of predawn trickled in through the windows.

Adam moved to stand in the center of the room as he threw his arms behind his head to lightly stretch out his joints. The reason that the former star player of the Ducks was up so early on the first day of school was not to iron his clothes, but to go through his almost daily physical therapy exercises.

Adam grabbed the chair from his desk and placed it in the middle of the room as he plopped himself down in it. He seated himself on the edge of the chair and took in a deep breath before raising both legs straight into the air, so that his heels were parallel to the floor. He ignored the strain on his legs as he reached forward, tightened his thigh muscles, and slowly counted to ten. He took in a deep breath at ten and his whole body relaxed before tightening again as he began the process all over again. After five repetitions Adam was done and already had a sweat going, and he knew that his injured knee was stiff.

Next, Adam laid himself down on the floor as he bent his left knee at a 90 degree angle, while keeping his foot flat on the ground. He took in a deep breath and, keeping his right leg straight, raised his right leg in the air. It wobbled and trembled as he raised it to the same height of his left knee. When he reached the height he held his leg there for ten counts, trying to ignore the tremble of his leg. He repeated this tedious motion nine more times before switching sides and allowing the torture to endure as he now raised his left leg to his right knee. When he was finally done he felt out of breath and spent several moments just gasping for air on the floor.

When he felt better he slowly raised himself from the floor and brushed himself off. He grabbed his chair once more and firmly gripped the back of it as he began his balancing exercise. This had to be the easiest one, just a simple balancing act. For one moment he balanced solely on his left leg before changing to his right. Even though it was simple, Adam's injured leg still gave tiny spasms while supporting his weight.

Now, onto stretching. His muscles were crying out for some serious stretching and Adam was only too happy to give it to them. He went through his daily stretches that had become ingrained into his brain thanks to his father. When Adam was done fifteen minutes later he was drenched in sweat and his body was aching all over. He smiled bitterly at the thought that simple exercises were enough to exhaust him, when at a different time he could have done all of those easily, and then play hours of hockey later. But that was when he had been a star hockey player, now he was a washed up never-has-been, as his former Coach Reilly used to like to say.

Adam walked slowly through his room picking up his toilette's before wandering into the bathroom that he and JD shared. The moment he was in the bathroom he turned on the shower and shed his sweat-soaked pajamas before stepping into the hot water. A sigh of contentment worked its way out of Adam's mouth as the water rushed over his aching joints and calmed down their cries of protests. Adam wasn't one to take long showers, but he stayed in the shower for a good twenty minutes, instead of his usual ten. It was only when the hot water began dimming into lukewarm that he turned off the tap and stepped out of the shower.

He slowly went through the motions of drying himself off and getting dressed. He forwent wearing his SBA uniform and decided to go casual. Of course casual for him was neatly pressed khaki shorts and a light green polo shirt. He would have worn pants, but it was too damn hot to put up with that. When he was done brushing his teeth, arranging his hair and applying his face cream, he stepped out of the bathroom and noticed that it was six-fifteen. Class started at promptly at seven-thirty. Adam dumped his pajamas on his bed and turned to his peacefully slumbering roommate, who hadn't changed positions since Adam had gotten up.

"JD," Adam quietly stated as he reached out to poke JD's tan shoulder. He got no response besides a moan.

"Time to wake up JD," Adam stated cheerfully as he shook JD's shoulder hard this time. JD only responded by burrowing deeper into his pillow. Adam sighed. Honestly, he was as bad as Charlie! And there was only one way to wake Charlie. An evil grin came upon Adam's handsome face as he leaned in close and cleared his throat.

"WAKE UP JD!" he yelled and watched with glee as JD flopped into a sitting position and looked around wildly.

"What the hell!" he yelled as he brought a hand to his chest and tried to calm down his racing heart. Adam couldn't hold in his laughter and sat down on his bed as he gripped his sides to stop from laughing. JD didn't find it funny as he glared at his preppy roommate.

"Not cool, man." JD protested as he controlled his breathing and Adam _finally _stopped laughing at his roommate's expense.

"Sorry," Adam un-convincingly apologized while hiding a smirk. JD only rolled his eyes as he kicked off his sheets and stormed into the bathroom to begin his morning routine. Adam lounged on his bed while waiting for his roommate to get ready. Twenty minutes later JD emerged from the bathroom looking fresh-faced and ready for the first day of school.

"Ready?" JD asked while scooping up his backpack and throwing it over his shoulders. Adam raised himself from his bed and grabbed his own backpack before nodding to JD. They headed out of the room and both walked side-by-side through the nearly empty halls of Reilly Hall.

"Where's everyone else?" Adam asked as JD shrugged and pulled out his iPod and stuck one headphone in his ear and left the other one out in order to listen to Adam.

"Sleeping, no one ever gets up early on the first day of school."

Adam nodded and politely refused the ear bud that JD was offering to him. JD shrugged and the two kept walking. They walked down the steps, out into the hall of the first floor, past a bleary-eyed Andrew Johnson, and finally ended up at the building which contained the rather large cafeteria. Unlike Eden Hall's formal dinning hall, SBA's cafeteria was large, informal, and loud and cluttered with students.

Adam followed JD through the line and while JD packed food upon his plate, Adam decided that for the first day of school he should eat light. JD and Adam maneuvered themselves through the noisy cafeteria before finally sitting down at the table that contained the group of people that Adam was now forced to socialize with. IQ was typing away on his laptop, Kyle was playing _Doodle Jump_ on his iPod Touch, Kimberly was going over her binders for AP World History, AP Chemistry, AP English, and AP Government and Politics, while Natalie was eating a grapefruit and Sam was lying with her head straight down on the table.

"Hidey Ho, dudes." JD greeted as he squeezed in between Natalie and Sam. The moment he was sitting his arm went around Natalie's shoulders as he pulled her towards him and placed a kiss into her hair as she giggled into his shoulder.

"It should be a crime to be so disgusting so early in the morning." Sam groaned from next to the happy couple. She raised her head and her brown eyes immediately met Adam's blue ones as he sat down across from her at the circle table. She smirked at him for a moment before turning to JD and Natalie, who were both glowering at her.

"Well, aren't you a barrel of sunshine this fine morning?" JD quipped as he began digging into his scrambled eggs.

"Oh, don't listen to Samantha," Natalie stated as she ignored the deadly glare sent her way by Sam, "she's just pissed because she got up early to run and I stayed and slept in."

"You promised to come with me!" Sam interjected from her spot as she began cream cheesing her bagel.

"Yeah, but who goes running at 4:45 in the morning?"

Adam decided not to mention that many a time, he, had indeed, gone on a morning run at the same time.

"I needed the time to get in my five miles!" Sam retorted as she nosily bit into her bagel before turning away from the couple. Natalie rolled her eyes before resting her head on JD's shoulder while he offered her his other ear bud and the two spent the rest of breakfast listening to music together.

Adam focused on trying to eat his breakfast, but found himself thinking that this group were a lot like the Ducks. They were a smaller bunch then the Ducks, and they didn't have a love of a sport joining them together, but they were all different and on their own would be outcasts, but together were an odd, but somehow right group of friends. Though, Sam did seem to have an attitude problem, but no one else seemed to care.

At that moment Adam's cell phone began quacking. Everyone at the table, even JD and Natalie, all turned to Adam with bewildered expressions. Adam blushed and fished his phone out of his pocket to see Charlie's name flashing across the screen. Adam, of course, ignored the call, but a minute later he got a beep that informed him of a new text.

_Adam, where are you? And why are you ignoring our calls? _

_- C_

Adam sighed, but knew that he couldn't just ignore Charlie's texts. Charlie had always been there for him, and he couldn't completely cut him out of his life.

_Things are…complicated. I can't talk now._

_- A_

A moment later his phone beeped again and he looked down at his newest text.

_Well, don't think you can ignore us forever._

_- C_

Adam flipped his phone shut and turned it off just as JD snapped a finger in front of his face. He blinked and looked up to see most of the table deserted except for him, JD and Natalie.

"Ready for class? We have Geometry together with Mrs. Smith." JD asked as Adam nodded and stood. He threw away his discarded food and followed the happy couple out of the cafeteria. He walked behind them as they giggled to one another. When they came upon Natalie's art class, JD made a big show of wishing her farewell and Adam wanted to be sick. It was that nauseating.

"Bye Adam!" Natalie waved to him before darting into the room before Adam could halfheartedly wave back. JD and him then took off for the math wing of SBA and ended up in Mrs. Smith's class only moments before the final bell went off. They sat down next to each other as Mrs. Smith monotonously began attendance. She sent a skeptical glance towards Adam when his name came up, but then moved onto Joseph Biggs.

Only a few minutes into class the freshman began getting called down for their pictures in the gym. The class went smoothly with Mrs. Smith going over the criteria of the year and her expectations for every single student and all that other nonsense that teachers insist upon going ever on the first day of school. Don't they ever realize that high schoolers aren't stupid and don't need to be told the same thing every freakin' hour?

After fifty-five minutes with Mrs. Smith, and then ten minutes with the student news, Adam bid goodbye to JD and hurried to his history class that he was sharing with Kimberly and IQ. Adam, too, was in AP classes. He smiled at Kimberly and didn't notice the way she blushed as he sat down next to her. Adam didn't particularly enjoy history, but he was good at it, and that was all that mattered. History went by quickly and then he was off to English.

He had just seated himself down in the middle of the class when Natalie and Sam entered the classroom with their arms linked. They had been laughing together over something positively silly. Natalie was the one who noticed Adam first and sent a megawatt grin his way.

"Hey Adam!" she called cheerfully as Sam followed Natalie's gaze to the prepster. She rolled her eyes as Natalie forcefully dragged her to Adam's section of the room. Without asking Natalie popped down in the seat on Adam's left side as Sam sat in front of Adam.

"So, how's your first day going?" Natalie kindly asked while turning to Adam. Adam looked up from his binder to see Natalie looking at him with a smile and Sam watching with disinterest.

"It's been good," Adam answered after a moment, "I haven't gotten lost yet."

"That's great!" Natalie exclaimed with chirpiness that was enough to make Adam want to find a new seat to sit in. Was she always so happy? She had seemed pretty chill and calm yesterday. Sam seemed to notice his thoughts as she smirked and nodded to Natalie.

"Don't mind her, she and JD were getting it on a few minutes ago in Mr. Richardson's classroom. That's why she's so…happy."

Instantly Natalie reached out and smacked Sam's thigh.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Sam loudly questioned as others in the class turned to the interesting trio made up of Sam, Natalie and sadly Adam.

"Stop making it seem like I'm a slut!" Natalie hissed towards Sam as Adam felt his cheeks gaining heat. He looked down at his binder and tried to block out this very uncomfortable conversation. This was almost as bad as that day in February when Connie, Julie and Linda had all be PMS-ing on the same day. Adam shivered as he remembered that god-awful day. There had been so much yelling and violence…

"Then stop acting like a slut!" Sam fired back just as the teacher, Ms. Bentley, stepped into the room. The room immediately went silent as Sam turned to face the front of the room, but not before aiming a kick towards Natalie's ankle. Natalie was barely able to hide her squeak as Ms. Bentley began class. They were only fifteen minutes into class when an announcement came through the speakers.

"All juniors with last names A-F, please come down to the New Gym for your pictures. All juniors…"

"That'd be us," Natalie said to him as both stood and walked out of class. They hadn't gotten far when Natalie began speaking.

"About that back there, Sam and I were just joking. I want you to know that I'm not…" she trailed off uncomfortably as Adam felt his blush coming back.

"Oh, yeah, I know." he lamely stated while he rubbed the back of his neck to banish his awkwardness. Natalie breathed in a sigh of relief.

"That's great. I like you Adam, and I wouldn't want you to think that. Sam, she just likes getting rises out of people. It's her form of entertainment. She doesn't mean anything by it, but she finds it amusing to rile people up."

"Sounds like fun." Adam muttered. He distinctly remembered his old _friend _McGill liking to rile people up as well.

"She's really a good person," Natalie quickly interjected at Adam's tone, "and she knows when she's gone too far and she'll do anything to make up for it. She's loyal like that."

Adam nodded without really caring; what did he care about Sam Myers?

The pair finally made it to the gym, where they were separated. Adam headed to the far side of the gym and joined the long line for his picture. When he finally arrived, he sat himself down and made a face as a lady began fussing over his fair. It got worse when she pinched his cheeks to 'give them more color.' She also twisted his limbs into an awkward angle for his pose and he was forced to sit like that, with a bright flight flaring down on his face, for several moments before the picture was flashed. He went blind in one eye and saw spots in the other.

After that dreadful experience he headed back to English and plopped back down in his seat. As he sat and barley listened to Ms. Bentley he noticed Sam, who sat ahead of him, doodling on a piece of paper. Feeling bored and slightly curious, he raised himself in his seat and stealthily glanced over her shoulder. She was drawing a soccer ball and designing it with her own works of art. Adam shook his head and sat back down. Boy, was she obsessive. A year ago, anyone would have said the same of Adam. Now, he just had nothing.

Kids continued to come and go through Ms. Bentley's class before the bell finally rang. Adam walked out with Natalie and Sam. Sam hightailed it off to history, Natalie to geometry and Adam went upstairs for chemistry. Adam walked slowly through the crowded hallways, and he ignored the way his knee was throbbing. He hadn't been so active in a long time and his knee was having a hard time dealing with it. He gave a silent cry of joy when he finally came upon his chemistry classroom. The setup of the room was different than the other classes he had been in. Instead of regular desks, there were lab stations throughout the whole room with two stools at each one. Spying an empty one next to a window, Adam headed over there and sat down. He slung his backpack to the floor and pulled out his chemistry binder as more students began filtering into the classroom.

"Hey stranger," A soft voice said from beside Adam as his head shot up and he looked to the formerly empty stool on his left. Now sitting there was…the girl from the carnival. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun and strands of blonde hair from framing her voice. She was dressed smartly, but yet casually and her shining smile was directly on Adam.

"H-Hey," he stuttered out as his mind began working in overdrive. He couldn't believe the girl from the fair was here, sitting next to him. She had been Adam's only happy experience at SBA so far, besides, of course, sleeping. Adam's whole day seemed better now that she was in it, even his knee was throbbing as hard.

"Mind if I sit with you?" she asked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Adam quickly shook his head, and she smiled at him.

"I didn't get to introduce myself last night, I'm Kenzie Hamilton." she held her small hand out to him and Adam reached forward to shake it. After being around Connie and Julie for so long, he never realized that girls' hands could be so soft.

"Adam Banks," an easy grin came to his face as he looked at her. They finally released hands just as class began. Both jumped and quickly turned away as their teacher, Mr. West, began his first day of school rules. Throughout the class, Adam couldn't help but steal glances at Kenzie who was writing notes in her notebook. By the time class had ended, Adam realized that he hadn't listened to a word that Mr. West had said.

"Do you have lunch next?" Kenzie asked as the two walked out of class together. Adam looked briefly at his schedule before nodding.

"So where are you from?" she asked as they walked down the stairs together.

"Edina, Minnesota." he answered as her eyes widened.

"My cousins have a cottage up at Bear Island Lake."

"Really? That's cool. My parents have a cabin up at Lake Bemidji. We go there every summer, and my friends are always tagging along."

Adam chuckled at the memory of all thirteen members of the Ducks heading up there for a long weekend with Adam and his family. Adam's dad hadn't been too happy…

"So what brought you here to California?" Kenzie asked as Adam felt his good mood beginning to slip, but he kept up his smile and just innocently shrugged.

"My family thought it would be a good change." It wasn't exactly a lie. They finally made it to the cafeteria and Adam didn't want to part with this girl who made him forget everything that he hated about being there. The two stopped walking and turned towards each other and no one seemed to know what to say next.

"Well, this has been fun." Adam stated and wanted to smack himself. Kenzie smiled and nodded and then looked over her shoulder to where her friends were sitting.

"Hey Adam, do you want to sit with us?" she asked and Adam felt his heart begin to race.

"That would be gr-"

"ADAM! Over here!" Adam flinched as he heard the loud voices on his new _friends _beckoning him over to their table. Adam sighed and turned to Kenzie.

"It looks like I can't, but thank you for offering."

Kenzie smiled largely before turning on her heel and walking away. Adam watched her go for a moment before turning and heading over to his own table.

"Hey guys," he greeted as he sat down in between Kimberly and Kyle. He noticed that the group seemed so much more alive now then they had in the morning. The Ducks were always loud, no matter what time of day. But now everyone was talking instead of keeping to themselves like they had in the morning. Kyle and IQ were having a fierce thumb war, Kimberly and Natalie were discussing the new fashion that the girls of SBA were wearing, and JD and Sam were having an argument of where the next World Cup would be held.

"I tell you, it will be England!" JD stated as Sam rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right, USA has it in the bag! Just you wait and see."

"It's not even till 2018 or 2022." JD protested while Sam nodded and bit into her sandwich.

"Yeah, and in eight or twelve years, I'll come up to you and laugh in your face."

JD opened his mouth to retort, but then thought better of it and looked down. "You would, wouldn't you?"

"You know I would." Sam answered cheekily as she began digging into her yogurt. Adam only shook his head and quietly ate his lunch. After lunch he had health with IQ and Kyle, and then his last class of the day was accounting and he had no one with him in that class.

Officially, his first day of school at SBA had been…boring. At least at Eden Hall he had the Ducks to keep things interesting. What, with their pranks on Varsity and their sticking it to 'the man,' no one could get bored hanging out with them. Which reminded him, the Ducks were now the new Varsity. Hmm. That was weird to think about.

Adam shook the thoughts from his head as he walked into Reilly Hall. He nodded to Andrew Johnson, who ignored him, and carried on his way up the stairs to his room. Though it had been a boring day, it had been tiring and all Adam wanted to do was to slip under his covers and take a really long nap. He slowly unlocked his door and was pleased to see that the room was empty. Without paying too much attention to his surroundings, he threw his backpack on the floor and sat on the edge of his bed as he breathed in.

Strange, he thought as he shifted on his bed, he hadn't notice the bed being this lumpy before…

He shifted a bit more and then suddenly and without warning he was roughly kicked in the back and fell off the bed. He landed in a befuddled heap on the floor with his jaw wide open. He sat there for a moment in complete bewilderment before standing up and realizing the lump on his bed was a person hidden beneath his covers.

_"It will only get worse, trust me. And they come and go as they please. Don't be surprised if you walk in and one's napping in your bed."_

"What the hell?" he muttered as he cautiously stepped closer to his bed. He was really worried about what he would see down there. Slowly and with trepidation he grasped the cover and threw it back to reveal…Sam Myers sleeping in his bed. He jumped back as he saw it was the red-headed soccer player that had an attitude problem. Sam blinked open her eyes and focused her eyes on Adam's scandalized expression.

"Hey Minnesota," she greeted as she leisurely stretched out on his bed and Adam noticed she wasn't wearing what she had been wearing earlier. Now she was in a white tank top and short boxer shorts. Adam immediately looked away when he noticed the way her tank top was riding up her toned stomach.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he looked around the room and noticed her clothes in a heap on the floor next to her backpack. Now, why couldn't he have noticed that before? He turned back to her as she chuckled and climbed out of his bed to stand before him. Whoa, those shorts were really short.

"I have a study hour for sixth period and I thought I would spend it sleeping." she nonchalantly told him as she stretched her arms above her head.

"And you couldn't do it in your own room?" he demanded and was embarrassed to note that his voice went a pitch higher than what was natural for him. Sam noticed and gave him her infuriatingly smug smirk as she brushed past him to her pile of clothes. Adam tried not to watch as she pulled her shorts up over her toned, tan legs. The Ducks would never believe that Adam ever had a girl in his bed.

"Your dorm is the closest one to the building and to the soccer field. I didn't have the heart to book it all the way across campus just to come back an hour later. Which reminds me, what time is it?" she asked as she pulled her t-shirt over her head.

"Almost three, why couldn't you sleep in JD's bed? You know him!"

Sam snorted and shook her head as she pulled her red hair back into a ponytail.

"And contract any of those diseases that he and Natalie are bound to be spreading? No thanks." Adam was forced to watch as she plopped down on his bed to pull on her sneakers. After she was done tying up the laces she stood and grabbed her backpack and headed to the door. Before exiting she turned to Adam with a despicable Cheshire grin and said,

"Thanks for the nap, Minnesota. I _thoroughly _enjoyed it. We should do this again." Again, she was gone before he could formulate a proper comeback. Adam stood in shock for a few minutes in his room before flopping down on his bed.

Well, one thing was for sure. South Beach Academy would not be boring. Adam was already sure of that.

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